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NFL Picks

Finalizing your NFL Picks for Week 1

The 2014 NFL Season officially started on Thursday with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the Green Bay Packers, but this is the 1st week of the season and what better way to start it off than with some value plays!

Sunday Night Football

Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos
How can anyone forget the matchup between Peyton Manning and his former team at Lukas Oil Field last season as the Colts proved that they didn’t need Manning anymore with the emergence of Andrew Luck?

Aside from their Super Bowl loss to Seattle, it was the only game that I saw Peyton Manning look pressured and unable to do the things that made him the best quarterback in the NFL. This was also a Colts team that might have taken a step back from the previous season.

Andrew Luck has legendary receiver Reggie Wayne back in the fold after being injured and Wayne will have a tough time with the new and improved Denver defense featuring DeMarcus Ware and Aquib Talib. Denver will be without star slot receiver Wes Welker due to suspension and that may hamper their offense. The fact that the Broncos are also coming off of a pounding in the Super Bowl to Seattle will be another obstacle to overcome.

Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs had a banner year last season only to have it come to an abrupt ending with an in-game injury to Jamaal Charles in the playoffs. Tennessee was also snake bitten with the injury of quarterback Jake Locker.

This season, the Chiefs will start the season without wide receiver Dwayne Bowe following an arrest. Bowe finished up last season on a high note with a 150 yard receiving game in the playoffs and his loss will be felt. Last season, we also saw how well the combination of head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith can work. Smith isn’t flashy, but he makes the plays and makes few mistakes. Look for a lot of Jamaal Charles in this game and the point spread is very low as the Chiefs are just a 3.5 point betting favorite on the NFL odds at home.

Can the 49’ers players get along with hostile yet talented head coach Jim Harbaugh. Also, Colin Kaepernick took a step back from the 2012-2013 season in which he led the 49’ers to the Super Bowl.

San Francisco picks up another wide receiver in Stevie Johnson and rookie running back Carlos Hyde out of Ohio State. Hyde might be a nice change of pace as Frank Gore has a lot of mileage on those legs andwith Michael Crabtree back at wide receiver, there might be a bit of a log jam and Anquan Boldin might play less of a role in the offense.

For the Cowboys it’s quite simple. Is this another 8-8 year for America’s Team? Owner Jerry Jones sure hopes not and he has shown major faith in quarterback Tony Romo by bypassing Johnny Manziel in the NFL Draft.

Jones wanted to make the move, but his “drafting team” persuaded him not to. Also, the Cowboys will be without sack monster DeMarcus Ware. This is the year that Dez Bryant needs to keep his emotions in check or this team may never be better than an 8-8 or 9-7 football team.

The Cowboys are a 4 point underdog at home and I think that the betting spread is a bit high for our NFL picks.

Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets
This is the season that Geno Smith needs to prove that he’s a legitimate quarterback in this league. Michael Vick has actually looked better than Smith in the pre-season, but he’s not the answer. New York greatly improved their team through the draft and with players such as Chris Johnson and Eric Decker. This game is quite simple. I don’t think that rookie quarterback, Derek Carr, is ready to handle a tough and improved Jets defense in week 1 of the new season. The Jets are going to be a lot better than people think with head coach Rex Ryan’s job hanging in the balance.